Consumer

There's a collective 'GRRRRR' from parents about holiday price hikes when term ends – the cost of flights, hotels and package holidays always seems to rocket. Yet the law's plain. You can't take kids out of school for unauthorised vacations without being fined (see Term-time holidays for the full lowdown).

With over eight million users in the UK, Vinted is a huge source of preloved bargains from just £1. It's also a great way to make extra cash by flogging your own wardrobe – especially as there are NO fees for sellers. What's more, shopping second-hand is good for the planet.

My name is Katie and I’m a shopaholic. 

It may surprise you to know that someone at MSE Towers can be guilty of spending on things they don’t need. But as with everyone, we all have money-saving work to do. For those with a spending habit, this season can be particularly difficult, as new products are launched, sales are pushed at you from every angle, and discounts are deeper than at any other time of year. For those with mental health challenges, it’s even worse.

In January, Boots introduced a discount scheme for customers with its Advantage loyalty card, giving exclusive deals when shopping in store (similar to Tesco's 'Clubcard Prices'). It's now extended this 'Price Advantage' offer to online shoppers and says it's added 100+ more products to the promo – so I've crunched the numbers to see if the deals are actually any good.

On the heels of an independent audit, the MSE Forum underwent some major changes and has levelled up dramatically. One of the biggest differences is its shiny new homepage design. Read on to get acquainted with its features.

We're keen for you to explore, and if you find any bugs or issues, we'd be grateful if you could let us know via our feedback form.

If you're not a Forumite yet, you can sign up to the MSE Forum with your email address. As a member, you'll be part of an epic community of MoneySavers, not to mention one of the UK's largest forums.

Hands up if you've had a clear-out since lockdown began – or maybe I should say hands up if you haven't (it might be a smaller number). There's some good news if you're itching to drop off bags of unwanted items at your local charity shop, as most should be accepting donations again.

When the UK-wide lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus began in March 2020, MoneySavers with motors asked us – and each other via the MSE Forum – how to keep their car in good nick if it wasn't being driven much, or at all. Understandably, they wanted to avoid having to shell out for repairs when they were able to hit the road again.

As getting together with overseas relatives looks unlikely this year sadly, many will be posting treats instead. Whether you want to send make-up to Melbourne, a wetsuit to Warsaw or a toy T-Rex to Texas, the obvious answer's to scurry to the post office – but the cost can add up, especially for heavier parcels.

An army of family, friends, neighbours and volunteers have stepped up to help people shielding and self-isolating during the coronavirus crisis, doing shopping runs or trips to the pharmacy. The easiest way to pay them back is via a bank transfer. Yet not everyone has access to online or phone banking to be able to do that, and not everyone is happy handing their bank details over. We run through other ways to pay...

There are four little words every eBayer wants to land in their inbox: 'Sell for £1 max'. The e-commerce giant can be a seller's paradise, but it typically takes 10% of the final price, including postage – yet the coveted 'Sell for £1 max' promo can slash what you pay.